Living the Dream
by Lilies of Paper
Summary: Series of one-shots. In this universe, Auggie and Annie are already married and are parents (they're 'living the dream'). Lots of fluff and eventual angst. Rated T for safety.
1. Read In

**AN: Alright. This is supposed to be a series of short one-shots, just some things that have been crossing my mind, lately, and I felt like sharing. They follow no chronological order (in fact, no order at all). I hope you like it. Oh, English is not my first language, I'm Brazilian, so I'm sorry if it isn't perfectly written…****  
****I also don't promise to post often, due to my school schedule. But I'll upload new chapters as soon as I can!****  
****Disclaimer: of course I do not own Annie or Auggie. If I did, they'd be together since the pilot :p lol**

Read In –

As her fifteen year old daughter, Zarya, turned off her computer, Annie stood by the door of the teenager's bedroom.

"Sweetie, your dad and I have something we wanted to talk to you about."  
Zarya, who had been named after Simon's sister, someone who Annie was truly fond of, looked a little scared. Annie left her alone and sat down with Auggie at the kitchen table.

Zarya looked just like Annie. The same nose, same eyes, same sweet lips. But she was a lot like her father too: cocky, sarcastic and kind of a dork.

After a few minutes, Zarya joined them, standing in front of the couple.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, cautiously.

"I don't know, did you?" Auggie teased and Annie kicked him softly under the table.

"Aug, I don't think it's the right time for jokes." She rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, why don't you sit down?"

Zarya sat in front of her parents, not knowing exactly what to say, or how to act.

"Please tell me you don't wanna talk about sex." She crossed her fingers.

"Not today, young lady, but don't you think we won't." Her father answered.

"So what is it?"

"Well…" Annie started, "it's hard to do this, but we have something we have to tell you. Please, don't even think we have ever lied to you, or anything like that. But we couldn't tell you until now."

"Mom, you're scaring me."

"Sorry, Z, we just don't want you to get the wrong idea." Auggie tried to calm her down.

"Well, sweetheart, it hurt a lot to keep this from you all those years, but I think you're finally old enough to understand why we couldn't tell you…" Annie held her husband's hand. "Do you remember when you asked us what we did for work, when you were on first grade?"

Zarya nodded.

"Well, we told you we worked at the Smithsonian, right?"

"Don't you?" She looked very confused.

"Well, Z, we are CIA." Auggie reached for her hand on the table and held it.

"Jesus, dad, your timing sucks. Mom's being all serious and I'm a bit scared, to tell the truth."

Annie didn't say anything, she just looked at Zarya.

"What? You're not joking?" She looked at him and he looked serious, then she looked at her mother, who just nodded. "You are CIA?"

"Z, we're sorry… We wish we could have told you earlier, but you understand, right? That's not the kind of information you can share with a pretty talkative child." Auggie pulled her hand closer.

"Guys, is it a joke? It's not funny. You scared me."

"Sweetie, just think a little." Annie said. "Why was I always traveling to distant countries? Why was dad always 'stuck at the office'? And why was Aunt Dani always worried about me when you stayed over at her place?"

"Alright. I admit, that awfully makes sense…" She let go of her father's hand to cover her face, trying to understand what was going on. "But it still doesn't prove anything…"

"Ok, what about why are we so sexy and good looking if we work at a Museum? That's enough proof for me."

"Dad! We're serious here!" She looked at Annie, waiting for an explanation, but she just got an eye roll in response.

"Alright! I was just trying to make things lighter! You two have no sense of humor... Well, Zarya, about proving it, it's not like we can hand you information, or take you to Langley to see it for yourself…" Auggie said.

"I know… I just need some time to process the information…"

"Sure, sweetie. You can take your time. Sorry it was so abrupt…" Annie stood up to hug her. "You're not mad at us, are you?"

"No, mom… Don't worry."

"You have any questions?" Auggie asked.

"No, dad." She hugged him too. "Actually, I do."

"Shoot it." He shrugged.

"What exactly does a blind man do at the CIA?" She laughed. She knew her dad could do pretty much anything, but she was really curious to know what he did at the Agency.

"Technical Operations. Basically, I tell your mom what to do."

Zarya laughed and Annie punched Auggie's arm. "You tell ME what to do?"

"No, Z, actually, your mom and I are the heads of two important departments. But I used to tell her what to do when I was tech ops…" Annie sighed. She had married a comedian.

"Alright, I'm gonna read a book, or watch tv… I need a little time…" Zarya said.

"Sure." Auggie pulled her by her arm and kissed her cheek. "But, Z, nothing has changed, alright?"

"Alright."

…

Zarya was laying on her bed, reading a book. Auggie knocked on her door.

"Come in."

He entered carefully, trying not to step on anything. Her bedroom was the only part of the house that was allowed to be messy; she was a teenager after all. He sat at the edge of her bed.

"So, everything ok?"

"Yeah… Well, it hasn't affected my life this far, why would it change now?"

"I'm glad you're as smart as your dad." He patted her leg, she held his hand.

"I actually wanted to ask something…"

"Yes, sweetie, your mom's job depends 100% on mine. She'd be screwed if I didn't help her."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." She sarcastically answered to his joke. "I was wondering… If you are CIA, most of your friends are CIA too…"

"Hmmm, where are you getting at?"

"Who else do I know from the agency?" She sounded excited to find out which ones of her acquaintances were spies.

"Unfortunately, that information is need to know, young lady."

"Alright, you're gonna deny Uncle Eyal is a spy too? Now that I know about it, it's so obvious!"

"Well, I can assure you he is not CIA." Auggie smirked.

"Then I'd guess Mossad. But, then, why would you be friends?"

"Zarya, you'd be a hell of an operative at the agency. Just don't you ever let your mother know I've told you that." He nodded and smiled. Zarya laughed. "But Uncle Eyal isn't Mossad either… Anymore." He gasped.

**Alright! What do you think? Is it too much into the future? I've had this scene in my head for months… I had to write it out… Anyway, hope you have enjoyed. Please, review! I'd like to know your opinion!**


	2. Uncle Eyal Is Coming to Town

**AN: Hey! Here's another chapter. Please don't expect me to post daily, it was just something that crossed my mind this morning and I had time to write down. Well, people who reviewed the first chapter liked that **_**Uncle Eyal**_** reference, so here's a little more. It's short, I know, but I liked it that way. Anyway, thank you so much for your kind reviews! Hope you like this one :)**

Uncle Eyal Is Coming To Town –

It was 8 o'clock on a Sunday when Annie woke up to find her husband already preparing some fresh coffee in the kitchen. Auggie heard her footsteps getting closer and she embraced him from his back.

"Morning, Walker." He turned his head in her direction.

"Morning, Anderson." She kissed the tip of his nose.

"Want some coffee?" He poured some in a cup and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She took a sip.

"The mail is on the table, wanna tell me what is there?"

"Sure." She got up and came back with the mail. "Hmmm, two bills, two flyers and a postcard."

"A postcard?"

"Yes, but… It's from D.C." She flipped it over to see who had sent it. "Oh! It's Eyal's!" She grinned. "It says: 'don't be surprised if a visitor stop by'"

"Is it signed?"

"No."

"Then, how do you know it's Eyal's?"

"It's addressed to '_Neshama_'" She said in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh."

Annie could sense a little jealousy in Auggie, but she didn't say anything. Well, Eyal had been visiting them from time to time ever since Zarya was born – the kid loved her 'uncle' – and there has never been any reason for Auggie to feel threatened. Annie would never cheat on him and Eyal wouldn't either, they were good friends.

They didn't know for sure what Eyal had been up to since he quit Mossad. He had never explicitly told them and they had never felt free enough to ask; but whenever they needed a little extra help in a mission, he'd _always _show up and give them a hand.

Well, Zarya, who was now seven, loved to be visited by her 'uncle'. She knew he wasn't related to any of her parents, but he was special for her. Whenever he visited, he'd bring her a little souvenir from his last trip; he was always patient and he liked to spend time playing with her –probably because he missed his son – but none of them knew that for sure; the few details that he shared about his life were never about it, it was a touchy subject.

"Why can't the man ever tell us _when_ he's gonna show up?"Auggie asked, sitting down with Annie to finish his breakfast.

She laughed. "What's the fun in that?"

They heard a door opening behind them, it was Zarya.

"Good morning, mom. Good morning dad." The little girl sat with them.

"Morning, sweetie." Annie kissed her forehead.

"Morning, Z! Want some pancakes?" Auggie asked.

"Yes!"

"I'm sure your mom would be happy to prepare you some." He laughed while Annie got up.

"Just so you know, I just gave you an eye roll." She stated as she picked up the ingredients for the pancakes.

"Z, Uncle Eyal is coming to visit us." He put her on his lap.

"Really?" She giggled. "When?"

"It's a surprise." Annie said.

"As always…" Auggie complemented.

…

They were resting, after lunch, when someone knocked. Zarya turned her head to the door, excited to know if it was Eyal. Annie got up.

"Who is it?"

"You tell me, Neshama."

Annie opened the door, with a huge smile on her face, she missed him and it was good to see him again. She gave him a hug.

As soon as they let go off each other, Zarya came running in his direction. He kneeled to hug her too, and picked her up from the ground.

"What did you bring me this time, Uncle Eyal?"

"Zarya! You don't ask that!" Annie covered her face in embarrassment. "Sorry…"

"C'mon, Annie, she knows I'd never come empty handed." He put her down. "But, before, where's my man Auggie?"

Auggie stood up and greeted Eyal with a hug and a big smile too. He did feel a little jealous, but Eyal was still a good friend and it felt good to have him in their house.

"Hey, man! You just missed a great lunch! Italian takeout! Annie is such a good cook." He smirked and Annie sighed.

"Why didn't _you_ cook?" She teased.

"C'mon, Annie, you know I can't. I'm blind." Everyone laughed. "Come on in, Eyal. Let's chat a little. Want a beer?"

"Sure!" They all went to the couch while Auggie grabbed three bottles for them.

Annie sat between Auggie and Eyal, who had Zarya on his lap.

"So, where have you been?" Auggie asked.

"Pretty much everywhere, but I stayed longer in the Netherlands." He said. "Oh, by the way, let me go get something for you, Zarya."

Eyal left the house for a few seconds and then came back with a box, wrapped in pink paper.

"Here." He gave her the package and she opened it to find a pair of Dutch clogs.

"What do you say, Z?"

"Thank you, Uncle Eyal." She analyzed her gift. "Are those shoes?"

"Yes, sweetie. They're Dutch shoes." Annie explained while Zarya was already putting them on.

"How do I look?" She smiled.

"Fantastic!" Eyal told her.

"They're heavy." The little girl stated.

They just stayed there, laughing and talking until it was dark; they always had so much fun together. Annie put Zarya to sleep when it got late, and the three adults kept on chatting and laughing for hours. It was so good to have friends like that.

Eyal's visits were always funny and a way to escape from the chaos of being a parent and a CIA agent at the same time. When they could just hang out and talk, drinking a few bottles of beer, like normal people, they could feel the world was lighter. All of them could. It was such a shame to watch Eyal's departure…


	3. Sunshine

**AN: First of all, thank you so much for your reviews, guys. You're all so kind! I hope you are enjoying the stories…**

**Well, this chapter was born from **_**Moons88**_**'s suggestion. Moons88 would like to see Zarya's thoughts on her family. Hmm, I'm not sure this goes as expected, but I think it's good… Anyway, hope you all enjoy it, especially **_**Moons88**_** :)**

Sunshine –

Zarya had been invited for dinner at her best friend's house. Elisa, her friend, was a sweet girl with a very normal family: a mom, a working dad and an older brother. The two friends were always hanging out together, so Elisa's family thought it would be good to invite Zarya over.

Of course Auggie and Annie were invited too, but they got stuck at Langley due to a mission that had gone wrong a few hours before, so Zarya went on her own.

As she arrived at the Johnson's house, she had already charmed them. Even though she was only thirteen, she had a way of dealing with adults that would impress anyone; she was very mature for her age.

They served dinner and started talking about trivial stuff.

"So, Zarya, where did you get that name?" The woman asked.

"Oh, it's Russian. It means _sunshine_."

"Are your parents Russian?" She was intrigued.

"No." She smiled. "My mom had a friend named Zarya a long time ago and she wanted to give me the name of a strong woman, she said…"

"Ha! Everything Elisa's got is a name our mom found in a catalogue." Elisa's brother teased.

"Very funny, _Shane_, because your name came from somewhere different!" The sister sarcastically replied.

"Hey! Guys! We have a guest! Let's at least pretend we are polite!" Their father intervened.

Zarya laughed at the two siblings.

"Oh, Mrs. Johnson, this food is delicious!" She commented. "I don't get the chance to eat homemade food very often, so…"

"Your parents don't cook?" The man asked. He wasn't judging, he was just curious.

"Not really." She laughed. "Well, my mom's food is edible, but not tasty, plus she doesn't like to cook. And my dad's blind, so you can guess his cooking skills aren't the best either." She smiled. "Also, they work a lot and don't have much time for cooking, so we end up ordering something or going to restaurants…"

"Hmm… What do they do for work?" The man asked.

"Dad, is this some kind of interrogation?" Elisa was embarrassed. "Sorry, Zarya, I didn't know they'd be so rubberneck."

"It's ok, El." She smiled and turned to the adults. "They work at the Smithsonian. But I don't really know what they do there. My mom has something to do with transportation; she brings and delivers pieces of art from all around the world. And my dad is a computer geek."

"Hmm, interesting. So she travels a lot."

"She used to, but she got promoted, I think, and now she gets to stay in DC more than in the past."

Annie had been given a division at Langley – and of course she would, being such a good operative and for so long – but she couldn't really explain her work to her daughter (at least for now). All Zarya knew was that her mother was glad she could spent more time with her family, but she missed traveling around the world.

"Well, all I can say is that we're not a regular family." Zarya added. "We are very close, even though we don't see each other as often as we'd like to. But it's fine with me, I know they are there when I need them."

"You seem to get along really well." The woman stated as her daughter rolled her eyes; _Jesus, my friend was supposed to be having fun, instead she's answering to a questioning,_ Elisa thought.

"Oh, we do! When the three of us are together, there's nothing that can stop us." She laughed. "The Andersons are the wittiest family in this town."

"I'd like to meet your parents, they sound interesting." Elisa's father said.

"Oh, we can arrange that." She smiled. "I'll suggest them that we invite you all over for dinner sometime. We are experts on ordering food." She smirked.

The conversation continued on trivial issues, like football and movies. Zarya missed having dinners like the Johnsons, with everyone around the table, telling each other what their days had been like, but she felt special being part of the Andersons. She'd never trade them. Annie and Auggie were the coolest parents in the world, they were so supportive about everything, and although they were always busy and they weren't great cooks, they had so many other qualities. Zarya could talk to them about anything; the three of them were very open with each other – except for the whole CIA thing.

Also, Zarya liked that she was only thirteen and already could speak three different languages, fix any computer, and even knew Braille – which she found useless, but fun. Her parents were absolutely awesome, and if she ever needed a family like the Johnsons, she could always visit her aunt Danielle.

Zarya's name meant _sunshine_ and she knew it was right for her; she lived in a bright and happy family. Their lives were a complete chaos, nothing was ever scheduled, but she liked it that way. And she knew her parents did too.


	4. Three Minutes!

**AN: Hey there, thank you so much for your reviews, guys. You are the best. Hope you enjoy this one, and please keep reviewing! Feel free to suggest stories, ok? :)**

Three Minutes?! –

Annie was just finishing an assignment Joan had requested, when she noticed the date. What? Already? How could it be? She checked on a calendar and started to count the days. She couldn't believe it, she was almost a month late and she hadn't noticed until that moment.

Joan stopped by Annie's desk to check if she had finished her work and got surprised by the sight of a static Annie.

"Annie?" Joan called and she suddenly came back to real world.

"Sorry, Joan." She shook her head, trying to focus back on work.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, yes! I was just finishing it!" Annie turned her head back to her screen.

"I was talking about you. Is everything ok?"

"Oh, right. Yes. I think it is... I don't know yet."

"Anything you need help with?"

"Hm, not really, thanks."

Joan went back to her office and Annie went back to that static position, thinking about that date. She looked at Auggie, from her desk, and she couldn't decide whether to tell him or not. _Probably better if I wait until I'm sure_, she thought.

She tried to finish that assignment as soon as she could, then she handed it to Joan personally.

"Joan, can I be dismissed for the day? I'm not feeling well."

"Ok, Annie." Joan raised her eyebrows. "Is there anything you wanna tell me?"

"I don't think so. But thanks."

She left the CIA building as fast as a bullet, she didn't even say goodbye to Auggie, and stopped at the first drugstore she found. She picked up a pregnancy test and while she waited in line to pay for it, she called Danielle.

"Hello? Dani? Thank god you're there. I need someone to talk to."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm on my way to buy a pregnancy test."

"A what?" She choked.

"I know! It's a mess! What will I do? Auggie and I have only been dating for five months!" She whispered on the phone while the other clients of the store stared at her.

"Alright, sweetie. Let's not think about it now. You're not even sure yet!"

"Well, at least I hope I'm pregnant, because if not, I may have a tumor or something like that."

"Annie! You don't joke about things like that!"

Annie rolled her eyes. It was finally her time to pay.

"Ok, Dani, I've gotta go now, I'll call you from home. Kisses."

...

She was there, waiting for the result of the test. She looked at her watch, but the pointers didn't seem to move.

_Three minutes? More like three years for someone who's desperate!_ She thought to herself.

She decided to call Danielle again.

"Dani?"

"Sooo? Do you know yet?"

"No! One more minute left!"

"Stay strong, Annie."

"What if it says yes?" She almost cried, not looking away from her watch.

"Hey, you'll figure it out."

Annie didn't say anything. She was so impatient. Danielle understood and just waited by the phone, not saying anything either. Annie checked her watch, then looked at the test.

"I'm pregnant." She sighed.

Danielle suppressed a giggle, she was thrilled that Annie was having a baby, but she knew her sister was worried.

"What do I do now?" Annie asked, staring at the stick. "In my line of work this isn't very good for career..." She took a deep breath. "And what about Auggie?" Danielle felt hesitation on Annie's voice.

"Calm down, sweetie. You'll work it out."

"I'm still trying to process this..."

"Hey, don't worry! You'll be a great mom! And Auggie is awesome, you'll work it out. Why don't you call him?"

"And tell him on the phone?"

"Tell him you have to talk. Then invite him over."

"Alright." She stopped and thought for a minute. "I'll do it."

"Call me later, ok? I love you."

"Love you too, Dani. Bye!"

Annie hung up and kept staring at the stick. They had used protection, how could that happen?

She took a deep breath, preparing to call Auggie, but she startled as her phone started to ring in her hands. It was him. Her heart almost stopped. _That's it_, she thought.

"Hello?"

"Annie? Is everything ok? Barber said you left in a hurry."

"Yeah... About that, I'd like to talk to you. Face to face. Can you come to my place later?"

"Sure. Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes. Don't worry, Auggie."

"I'll try not to. See you later, then."

They hung up. She knew he was worried, but there was no other way of telling him.

...

"Walker!" Annie heard Auggie calling her outside.

She was still staring at the test result, because she couldn't understand how it had happened. She put it away and went downstairs to welcome Auggie. She brought him upstairs and they sat down on her bed.

"Annie, you're scaring me." He said as they entered her bedroom.

"Auggie, earlier today I was finishing something for Joan and then I realized what day it was." She took a deep breath. "I'm late. A month late."

Auggie knew where this was getting. He took Annie's hand before she kept talking.

"Don't worry Annie. We can do it. I'm sure." He held her head with both hands and kissed her softly.

"Aren't you shocked? I mean, it's a pretty big deal and we haven't been dating that long..."

"Well, I wasn't planning for it to happen so soon, or to happen at all, but... I don't know, the only thing we can do now is deal with it."

"Yeah, but it's a great responsibility, I mean, it's a child! I'm not sure I'm ready for that... What if I'm a lousy mother?" She patted his hand. "Also, in our line of work, we don't get too much family time..."

"Don't worry, Walker. We'll work it out."

"I love you." She kissed the tip of his nose.

"I know." He smirked. "Everybody does."

She punched his arm and sighed.

"I love you too, Annie."

"That's better." She hugged him. "Wanna stay with me tonight?"

"Of course."


	5. Bureaucracy

**AN: Hey there, just something short today. As requested, here's the '**_**continuation'**_** to "Three Minutes?!"; in this one, Annie and Auggie tell Joan about the pregnancy.**

**Well, every chapter is related to the other, even though there is no chronological order. This one is**_** very **_**connected to "Three Minutes?!", so it feels like a sequel…**

**Hope you enjoy it! And, please, keep reviewing! You are the best!**

Bureaucracy –

Auggie woke up wrapped around Annie. They were face to face and as soon as he opened his eyes, she kissed him good morning. He smiled.

"What time is it?"

"Hmm…" She rolled over him to peek at the watch on the bed table. "Nine."

"Nine? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked so tired last night… And it's Saturday, you deserved a little sleep after this week."

It had been a tough week, indeed. Right after they found out about the pregnancy, Annie scheduled an appointment at a doctor, to make sure she was actually pregnant. Auggie was very busy at work, helping at an operation that seemed endless, so he wasn't able to accompany her at the doctor, causing him to feel guilty. She was freaking out to be doing that alone, but she knew he would go with her if he could.

She suddenly stood up and he heard her footsteps getting farther.

"Where are you going?"

She closed the bathroom door and threw up. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and came back to bed.

"You ok?" Auggie asked, cuddling her.

"Yes. These morning sicknesses haven't been happening often… It was the first one in four days. Don't worry, I'm doing better than most."

They laid in silence for a while, until Annie decided to interrupt it.

"We have to tell Joan. I'm already on my eighth week, in less than a month my clothes won't fit me anymore and people will notice."

They sat up on the bed.

"Is there a protocol for that?" Annie asked.

"I don't think so… Well, from _my_ good judgment, I assume we should tell her right away. And she has to be the first to know about it."

"Sure." She held his hand.

"But I don't think there is a protocol. Well, it doesn't happen that often in the agency."

Annie sighed. "That's exactly what worries me most. I have no idea how to do this. And there is no one to share their experiences with me…"

"Well, we are in this together, Annie. And it can't be so different from any other couple. What worries me most is that I'm blind."

"Come on, Auggie. You know that's the last of our concerns." She kissed the tip of his nose. "You'll do fine."

"You think so?"

"Of course, Augs! Since when do you question your capabilities?" She hit him on the arm.

"Since there is going to be a little person relying on me."

"And you _will_ be there for this _'little person'_. That's what matters." She stopped for a while. "Which brings me back to my greatest fear: what if we are always so busy at work that we _won't_ be there for the _'little person'_?"

"We'll figure it out, Annie." He took a deep breath. "Alright, we should stop worrying now. We're suffering in anticipation and we're only getting stressed. It's not good for the baby."

"I guess you're right." She nodded.

…

On Monday morning, Auggie was sitting on the couch, ready for work, and Annie was taking longer than she usually did to get dressed.

"What's taking you so long?"

"The doctor said my belly would only start to grow after the eleventh week, but three of my favorite skirts don't fit anymore…" She zippered up a skirt that finally fit. _Thank god, it was the fifth she had tried on that morning._

"Maybe it isn't the baby; maybe you are just getting fat." He smirked.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." She took his arm. "Come on, you clown, let's go to work."

…

They walked into Langley and both of them felt the pressure on their shoulders getting stronger.

"Ok, let's do it." Annie said as she knocked on Joan's door. Auggie was holding her hand.

Joan let them in and asked them to sit down.

"So, what brings you both here?" She really wanted to know what the cause of Annie's pale face was.

"Well, Joan, there is something we wanted to tell you, about us." Auggie started. "Hmm… How can I put it?" He reached for Annie's knee.

Joan looked confused.

"We…" Annie started, trying to find the right words. "Well, I… Ugh!" She took a deep breath. "Ok. I'm pregnant." That was it, she had said it. _Oh my god, what is Joan going to say?_

Joan took only a few seconds to find an answer, but Annie and Auggie felt she took hours to say anything.

"Well…" Joan thought for a while before she continued. "Congratulations, I guess." She extended her hand towards Annie, wearing a sincere smile on her face.

"Hmm… Thank you?" Annie shook her boss's hand, finding it all a little weird.

"Is that it?" Auggie asked, getting up from his chair. "Are we good to go?" Both Auggie and Annie felt relieved that it had been so easy. _Why were they so worried about Joan before? She had always been a friend._

"Well, I'll have Stu deliver you the paperwork you have to fill out about this. It's only bureaucratic stuff…"

"Oh God, no…" Auggie mumbled before Joan could even finish her sentence.

…

Annie was talking to Auggie at her desk when she sighted Stu coming towards them. He had a pile of paper on his hands that looked pretty heavy; he stopped in front of them.

"Excuse me, here are the forms you should fill out." He put it on her desk and Auggie startled at the sound of the huge amount of paper hitting the metal.

"Bureaucracy is a blast." He ran his hands on the pile to have an idea of how many hours they'd spend on that.

"Well, we should start right away, then." Annie took the first page and read it to Auggie so they'd do it together.


	6. Should We Ground Her?

Should we ground her? –

Annie and Auggie waited outside the principal's office at Zarya's school, they had been called there to discuss their daughter's behavior.

Zarya wasn't a bad student – in fact, she was one of the best – but she liked to talk. She liked to talk about anything, anytime, with anyone, and people liked to talk to her too, because she was very kind and funny. Well, because of that, her teachers constantly had to interrupt the class to ask her to stop talking. It was usual, but lately it had started to annoy them; she just wouldn't stop. So, one of them sent her to the principal's office once. Then it happened again. And again. After her third incident in less than a month, Mrs. Rogers, the principal, decided to call the Andersons and talk it through.

Annie and Auggie didn't really know why they were there, the principal had been pretty vague on the phone, which made them a little anxious because they didn't know what to expect; as far as they were concerned, Zarya had never been a problem.

There was a ticking clock on the wall and its noise was the only sound in the room. Annie started to hit her high heels on the floor, following the clock's rhythm; Auggie frowned at her, _it was so annoying._ Luckily for him, Mrs. Rogers opened the door and invited them in.

"Please take a sit." She smiled.

Annie led Auggie to one of the chairs and sat on the other, next to him.

"So, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, I'd like to talk to you about Zarya's behavior." She took a file from her drawer. "Well, she was sent to my office three times in less than a month, and I started to worry about her."

Annie nodded, waiting for her to finish what she was about to say, but Auggie interrupted her. "What'd she do wrong?" His tone was a little aggressive.

Annie hit him on the leg. She hated when he did that, trying to take over the situation before they even knew what was wrong. _Just let the woman finish what she has to say, for Christ's sake!_

"Well, you have a very talkative daughter, Mr. Anderson, and she just can't stop talking. She has annoyed her teachers so much that the only solution they could find was getting rid of her during their classes."

Annie raised her eyebrows. "I'm confused. Why hasn't she been sent to detention?"

"I figured it'd be better for her to talk to me and to her parents first. Well, she is pretty intelligent and I'm sure she will understand what she has been doing wrong. You should talk to her about the importance of following the rules, and help her see she's jeopardizing herself by acting like that. I know she doesn't do it on purpose, and I know she doesn't mean to disrespect her teachers; that's why I didn't feel I should _punish_ her."

"Oh. Well, thank you." She smiled. "And I'm really sorry about that… We'll talk to her." She held Auggie's hand and stood up, ready to leave. As much as Annie tried to hide it, she had a scared look on her face. Auggie could hear it in her voice.

Mrs. Rogers noticed it too. "Well, Mrs. Anderson, you shouldn't be too worried, you know? You have raised her well. But no child is perfect. She likes to talk and she doesn't know when to stop, that's it." The principal tried to be as sympathetic as she could. "Zarya is brilliantly smart, she's athletic, and she is very friendly. I'm_ personally _very fond of her. She is growing up to be a great person, don't worry."

Annie wanted to feel relieved, but she couldn't; there was always this little voice asking her if it was her fault.

She was good mother, but she was always worried that she'd hurt her family, both physically and emotionally, because of her job. She started to wonder if Zarya talking nonstop was some kind of reflex of her absence in the house – even though she wasn't absent at all –, Annie felt guilty for working such long hours and traveling that much.

They left in silence. In the car, driving back home, Auggie decided to talk about what had just happened.

"Alright, Annie. You're acting weird, what is it?"

"I don't know." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if it is my fault that Zarya is a little clueless about this kind of stuff. I mean, she is thirteen, she should know the right time to stop talking and to listen to the teachers. We know she can focus, right?"

"First of all, how could it be your fault? And second, she's a teenager! They talk! Also, she's always been talkative, I think it's just who she is…"

"What if it is a symptom?"

"A symptom? Of what?"

"What if I'm an absent mother? Maybe it's her way of getting the attention she doesn't get from me…"

"Are you out of your mind, Walker? You've turned your whole life upside down to raise her well! _We_ have turned our lives upside down! You heard her principal, she is a great kid. You are just overreacting... We'll get home and talk to her. I know she would tell us if something was wrong."

"Ok." She wiped a tear from her face.

"Also, when_ I_ was her age…" He cleaned his throat and turned his head to the other side, not facing Annie. "I might have been through the exact same situation…" His voice faded away slowly with each word.

"Really?"

"Well, except that my principal wasn't this nice and my parents grounded me for a month."

Annie laughed.

"Hey! It's not funny!" He feigned offense. "But it actually worked. I was never sent to the principal's office again."

"Well, then I'm not that worried anymore, because you turned out just great." She said and smiled as she parked her car. "But I don't think we should ground her, though…"

"Well, maybe not for that, but she didn't tell us she had been sent to the principal."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that."

"Hmmm… What should we say?" They really didn't know how to reprehend her because she had never needed to be grounded. Most of the time a scolding was enough to make her change her behavior.

"I don't know… We should probably talk to her first and see what happens. Maybe she doesn't need to be grounded after all…"

…

Right after dinner, Zarya was laid on the couch when Auggie sat beside her. "You know what is funny, Annie?" He screamed from there.

"No." His wife answered from the kitchen.

"Some people like to talk so much, but they don't talk to their parents about visits to the principal's office… Isn't it weird?"

"Indeed. It is…" Annie didn't leave the kitchen; she let Auggie take control of the situation on his own.

Zarya's heart speeded up. She looked at Auggie, who had a sarcastic look on his face. She felt bad for not telling them.

"Oh, so… Mrs. Rogers talked to you?" She sat up.

"She did. But why didn't _you_, Z?" He was serious now.

"I think I was sort of… embarrassed." She sighed. "I didn't want to disappoint you, guys."

"You wouldn't have, Z. But you did disappoint us for having omitted that from us…"

"I know…" She hugged him. "I'm sorry, dad."

"It's ok as long as it doesn't happen again." He held her hands. "So, do you understand why you have been sent to the principal?"

"I do." She nodded.

"Will you let it happen again?"

She hesitated for a while. "I won't. At least I'll try not to."

"Trying isn't enough, you'll have to make it."

"Alright. I won't let it happen again. I promise."

"Is there something your mother and I can do to help?"

"Hmm… I don't think so."

"Alright, then." He hugged her again. "Are we good?"

"Yes, dad. We're good." She smiled.

Annie watched the whole thing from the kitchen and smiled. Even though she felt bad for not being as close to her daughter as Auggie was, she was glad the two of them got along so well.

It bothered Annie that she wasn't able to spend quality time with her family, but it didn't worry her anymore. And remembering Mrs. Rogers's words made her feel better. Her daughter was a good person and people liked her; Annie was proud.

Also, she was sure Auggie was a great father, so she knew Zarya had someone to rely on, after all. It didn't completely dissolve her worries, but it softened it, for sure.

**AN: So? What do you think? Please, please review! Let me know your opinions, ok?**

**I felt I should show Annie's feelings about being a CIA mother, but I tried not to be too depressive HAHAHA I'm not sure I've managed that so well… I figured it'd be kind of annoying not being close to your only child, so Annie would feel a little bad and guilty, even though it wasn't that serious. Hope you've liked it :)**

**Btw, feel free to suggest stories, alright? I'm running out of ideas ;) **


	7. Why Can't I? - Part 1

**AN: First of all, thank you for reading, guys. I'd like to ask you to keep reviewing, please! Getting reviews is very inspiring :)**

**Anyway, this is something I've been thinking about since I started writing this fic… I really hope you like it. It's going to be divided in two parts, because it got bigger than I expected. I hope you like how it turns out (even though it is actually pretty predictable LOL).**

Why Can't I? (Part I) –

It was seven pm and Annie was still at Langley. Auggie and Zarya were at home; while she read something in her bedroom, her father was listening to the news.

He heard her footsteps in his direction and turned his head towards her, turning down the volume.

"Dad? Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Z. What's up?" He moved to the side of the couch so that she'd fit next to him.

"Well, since mom's not here, I figured I'd talk to you about something that's been eating me…"

"What's wrong?" He started to worry, but tried not to show, so that he wouldn't inhibit her.

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while now… And since I'm finishing high school in two months, I think it's the right time to talk to you about it…" She took a deep breath and her father didn't say anything, he just raised his eyebrows and bit his lower lip. "I think I wanna join the CIA."

He exhaled, letting all the tension he was holding up go away. "That's it?! You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant or something like that…"

"What? Jeez! No! Dad! Eww!"

"Ok, ok, ok! Let's stop with the monosyllables now!" He laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, it's just… You never know, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway... About the CIA…"

"Oh, about that… Well, your mom is not here now, but we'll have to talk to her about it."

"Dad, you'll help on this one, right?" She held his arm, trying to intimidate him. "You know what mom thinks about that. She'll never let me if you don't help."

"Hey! What makes you think _I_ agree with you?" He smirked.

"Dad. Please. I'm giving you an eye roll right now. You always brag about what a great agent I'd be."

"Alright. I do think you'd make a _great_ operative. No doubt on that. It's just… It's dangerous, really dangerous. And I kind of agree with your mom that it's too risky to put you there."

"But?..."

"No 'but' yet. That's it. I'll talk to your mom and _then _we'll decide if we'll let you do it."

"Ugh! For someone who started the conversation with a 'that's it?' you seem to think it's a pretty big deal."

"Because it is, Z! You have no idea! Have we ever told you about Jai Wilcox?"

"No." She nodded. "I've heard you and mom saying something about him once or twice, though."

"Well, he worked with us. One day he and you mother were having some coffee in a diner and when he left, his car exploded. Just like that. Don't you think we'd worry about you?"

She didn't say anything. She was processing the information.

"Alright. How many times has something like that happened?" She finally reasoned it wasn't really common to have cars exploding or anything like that.

"Not many." He had to agree. "But you put your life at risk every time you're out in the field. It could happen."

"Ok, dad. I see your point. But still, you and mom do it, why can't I?"

"I know it's not logical, but you have to understand, Z. You are our daughter. The last thing we want is something bad happening to you because we didn't intervene."

"Well, you are my parents. Don't you think I worry too? Especially because I have no idea what you do there. But I haven't asked any of you to stop it, have I? Because I know you love it."

"Hm. I guess you're right. Also, if I had asked _my _parents, they wouldn't have let me either. And your aunt Danielle is certainly _not_ a fan of our work." He laughed. "But we are still talking to your mother to see what she thinks."

"Ok…" She hugged him. "Thank you dad."

"Hey. We didn't say 'yes' yet."

She went back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Even though she tried to control it, Auggie did hear a giggle from there. He smiled.

…

Annie got home to find her daughter asleep in her bedroom and her husband asleep on the couch. Television on. She turned it off and woke him up gently, so that she wouldn't startle him.

"Augs?" She whispered, touching him gently.

"What time is it?" He stretched his neck and his shoulders.

"Way past midnight. Come on." She kissed the tip of his nose as he stood up, following her to their bedroom.

He stood there while she took her clothes off and dropped them on the bathroom floor, ready to take a hot shower and relax from the exhausting hours at Langley. Auggie started to talk, heading to the bathroom.

"Hey, there's something Zarya and I wanted to talk to you about, but if you prefer, it can wait until morning." He said from the door.

"What is it?" Annie answered from the shower.

"Well, she wants to join the CIA." He bit his lip and closed his eyes tight, already expecting for Annie's protest.

"Hell no! We've discussed it before, Auggie. No way she's going to do it." Annie's tone was a little harsh.

"Annie, we have to agree she'd be better than both of us ever were. She has the skills."

"Jesus, August! Do you think I'll just let her there, exposed to all that chaos and all the possibilities of getting hurt? Or even worse?"

"Annie, you used to be exposed to that on a daily basis and I don't think if your mother asked you to stop you would."

"Well, I'm not my mother and Zarya is not me."

"I'm just saying she's already 18. She's smart. She knows the risks to this profession way better than any of us did when we joined. My point is: she is already able to decide it for herself, and I think she already did, actually."

"Ok. Think about how you feel every time I'm in the field. Remember that I'm your wife. Now imagine it's your daughter there. How would you feel?"

"I know that. I'm not saying it will be easy for us. But she's old and mature enough to make her own decisions. It's not fair that we stop her, we're not that kind of parents."

Annie turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She stood in front of Auggie.

"Alright. I won't be that dictatorial mother. But I'm not saying 'yes' either. I'll think it through and then we'll figure it out."

"Ok." He kissed her forehead. "But be open about it. She'd be great, Annie, and you know that."

_**To be continued…**_


	8. Why Can't I? - Part 2

Why Can't I? (Part II) –

Auggie woke up and reached for Annie, but she wasn't in their bed. He didn't hear any movement around the house, and the street was silent too. He ran his fingers on his watch to find out it was still 5am. He laid quiet for a few more minutes, but he didn't hear his wife around the house, so he got up and went to the living room, hoping to find her there.

As he got closer to the couch, he heard her breathing.

"Annie?" He whispered, afraid that he'd wake her up.

"Yes?" She answered and took his hand, guiding him to sit on the couch next to her.

"Why are you up so early?" He asked while cuddling with her, feeling her hair on his face.

"Not '_early_', late. I couldn't sleep for a minute." She sighed.

"Is it about that Zarya thing?"

"Hmm… Partially."

"You know we don't have to decide it now, right?"

She nodded. "It's not that…" She hesitated for a while. "Zarya is growing up."

"I know." He ran his hand through her hair.

"I just feel I can't protect her anymore, I fell kinda powerless. I really, really don't want her to join the CIA, but if she wants to, what can I do? What can _we_ do?"

He just sighed and put his head on her shoulder, feeling her warmth.

"I knew sooner or later it'd happen; this conversation. I just wasn't expecting it now… She's still my little baby... And Langley is… well, Langley." She shrugged.

"Annie, do you like to be part of the Agency?"

"I wish I'd say 'no', but I do."

"Then, what if Z likes it too? As much as we both do? We can't deny her the opportunity of doing what she likes for a living."

"I know…" She sighed. "It's just that, since she was a little kid, I promised myself to never let her do it. And now, I want to tell her '_no_', but I can't, because I know she'd be a hell of an operative, and she'd _like_ it. I guess I just didn't want to imagine my little girl getting in ugly fights, hazy situations… But, unfortunately, I feel that's where she belongs."

"Well, Annie. I just think we should tell her that we won't oppose. Let her decide for herself, she still has time to do think about it." He pulled his wife closer. "Come on, let's get back to bed." He kissed the spot behind her ear and it tickled her.

…

They were laying on their bed, Annie had her head on Auggie's chest, while she ran her fingers gently through his abs. He had his arms wrapped around her, playing with her hair.

Auggie heard Zarya's door being opened and asked Annie what time it was.

"Seven thirty."

"Wanna get up and tell her the news?"

"Sure." She got up, put on her camisole and her robe. Auggie felt for his pants on the floor, put them on, and grabbed Annie's elbow.

They went to the kitchen to find Zarya preparing some coffee.

"Morning, mom. Dad."

"Morning, Z." Auggie kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Did you talk to mom?" She whispered in his ear as Annie unfolded the newspaper.

"Well, actually, I did, Z. And we wanted to talk to you."

Both Annie and Auggie had concerned looks on their faces, so Zarya wasn't sure what to expect.

"Hmm… Is there something good coming from that?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Sit down."

She sat. Auggie took her hand.

"Z, we talked and we decided to let you figure it out on your own."

She grinned.

"But –" Annie started and was immediately interrupted by her daughter.

"Oh, no no no no! No 'but'!" He grin turned into melancholy and desperation.

Annie cleaned her throat. "_But _you already know our worries, so we'd like you to think about it with caution, ok? If you really think that's what you want for your life, then we'll support you 100%. If you find out that's not what you want, then we'll support you 100% too. We just want you to think about it."

"Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad." She stood up to give each one of her parents a hug and a kiss. "I love you."

"We love you too, honey." Annie held her tight.

"Alright, you won't regret it. I'll be the best operative that Agency has ever seen." She smirked.

"Hey! Don't forget that _I _work for that agency. It'll be hard to beat that, Z." Auggie teased.

"Come on, dad. You know I'm _way_ better." She punched him in the arm, replying to his joke.

"We'll see, we'll see." He laughed.

Annie cleaned her throat to call for attention. "Are you forgetting I work there too, you clowns?" She smiled.

"Sorry, Annie, you truly are the best agent there." He said that then turned to Zarya, whispering, but loud enough for Annie to listen. "Not really." They laughed and Auggie was punched again, this time by his wife.

**AN: Guys, please review! I wanna know what you think ;)**

**p.s. Can you answer me something? Would you mind if stuff got a little more 'adult'? Not too much, really, nothing too explicit; I'm just working on a new chapter and it's going to be pretty funny, but I have to be able to write down a sex scene (**_**again,**_** not going to be descriptive, just a little more than 'mentioning'.) So, it's up to you. I'm going to rate this fic T, for safety. But, please, let me know what you think ;)**


	9. This is Dad

**AN: Here's a new chapter for you. Well, I rated it T for safety, but I honestly don't think it's so explicit… Anyway, it's kind of a different idea LOL I liked it and I hope you like it too.**

This is Dad –

Zarya was seventeen when she got her first boyfriend. He was a nice guy, very kind and polite, not really good looking actually, but she didn't care about it, she just wanted to be with him for who he was.

His name was David and they were the same age. Zarya had met him at school, they had taken several classes together since 8th grade, and they slowly got close and became good friends (maybe a little more than good friends). They were really similar: both of them liked books, were well informed about politics, loved computers, and, as you have probably guessed, were dorks. Anyone who saw them knew they were a perfect match.

Zarya knew Annie was travelling to somewhere near Luxembourg and wouldn't be home until the next few days. She also knew Auggie would still be at Langley for the next couple hours. She figured it'd be ok to bring David to their house; they had been dating for about three months, and they'd been craving for something a little more intimate.

It was the first time for both of them, and they were pretty anxious about it; especially because it'd happen inside Zarya's house before her parents even knew she had been dating someone. But they trusted each other and were pretty determined to do it.

Zarya unlocked her house's door and as soon as they were inside, she closed it and pushed David against it. They threw their backpacks on the floor and he started to unbutton her shirt, as she kissed him passionately.

"You sure your folks won't be arriving any time soon?" He asked as she pushed him towards the couch.

"Don't worry, my mom's out of the country and my dad's at work." She kissed him again, making it impossible for him to say anything else.

She threw him on the sofa and sat on his lap as he took off his shirt. She only had to take her lingerie off to start the action; David was already unfastening her bra, when he remembered he had left his condoms in his backpack.

"Alright, I don't want to turn you off, but I'm going to interrupt this to get condoms in my backpack." He stood up.

"Jesus, David, I can't believe you forgot to keep them in hand." She sat down on the couch, covering her breasts with her hands, and watched as he walked shamefully in the direction of their backpacks, which were thrown near the door. She couldn't help it, she had to laugh.

"What are you laughing about? Is there something wrong with me?" He started to feel self-conscious.

"Of course not, dumbass. It's just this situation." She laughed again. "We are ridiculous!"

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the condom.

"Here it is." He stated, raising the little squared package up.

Just as he turned around, going back to the couch, they heard a key into the door.

"Oh, my God!" He ran as fast as he could to hide behind the sofa with his girlfriend.

Their hearts were pounding.

Auggie opened the door and stepped in, humming some Mingus.

Zarya was trembling, she was so nervous she couldn't control her muscles. David was desperate, he was so embarrassed and scared. They tried to hide behind the sofa, until Zarya realized it was useless.

"Z? Are you there?" Auggie could hear her heavy breathing.

"Yes." She was too nervous to say more than one word, but she managed to sound calm.

She watched from behind the couch as Auggie collapsed his cane and put it on the table next to the entrance. As he walked towards her, he stumbled on something on the floor, a backpack.

"What's that?" He raised his eyebrows.

David took a deep breath. "That would be mine, sir. Sorry."

Auggie startled. "Who the hell is that?"

"I'm sorry, dad. That's David. He's my… boyfriend." She reached for her clothes on the floor and quickly put them on. David put on his clothes too.

Auggie could hear the sound of zippers being closed and buckles bouncing, which brought him to realize what was going on there.

"Dear God, I know I'm gonna regret it later, but I have to ask: were you two naked until just now?"

No one answered, so Auggie took that his assumption was pretty accurate.

"Ok." He took a deep breath; he wasn't sure how to react. "I'm going to leave and I'll be back in five minutes. I'll wait until you recompose yourselves." He turned around and left.

David was white as milk. "What the hell was that? I though you said your dad would be at work!" He said while he straightened his shirt to fit him properly.

"I don't know what happened! I'm so sorry, babe! He was supposed to be in his office…" She collected all of the items from the ground and took them to her bedroom with David's help. "At least it was my dad. If it was my mom she would have actually _seen_ us naked." She sighed.

"What do we do now?" He asked, sweating.

"Wait until he gets back, I suppose."

They sat in silence on the couch. Auggie had only left for five minutes, but it felt like an eternity for the young couple. As soon as he opened the door again, the pair looked at each other and took a deep breath at the same time.

"Alright, young people. I hope you are already decently dressed in there. It's not funny to be naked around the innocent blind man who has no idea what's going on." He got no answers. "Wow, you have no sense of humor, do you?"

"Not right now!" Zarya usually had witty observations and sarcastic comments just like her father, but sometimes she didn't get his timing. Actually, nobody did.

"So, Z, don't you think you have to introduce me properly to your boyfriend?"

"Sorry. Dad, this is David. David, this is dad."

Auggie extended his hand and David shook it. He felt the boy's hand was cold, sweaty, and shaky, and actually felt sorry for him.

"Nice to meet you, David." He smiled.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Anderson."

"Well, David, I'm sorry we had to meet under such unique circumstances… Let's just say I'm kinda glad I'm blind…" He smirked, trying to calm the boy down with another one of his jokes. "Hey, guys, you are not in trouble or anything like that. Calm down, relax. I know what it's like to be seventeen."

"I'm sorry, dad." Zarya held David's hand for support. "Please, let's never speak about it again, ok?"

"Z, I'm as comfortable as you two in this, but we need to talk about it. At least the obvious stuff."

Zarya gritted her teeth. David looked at her asking for help. _Don't let this conversation begin, please._

"Were you too using protection?" Auggie started.

"Technically, not. Because we hadn't started anything yet. But we were going to use it. In fact, David had left his backpack on your way because he had just taken a condom from there."

"Hm, good, I guess." He stopped to think about all the cliché topics that had to be discussed with teenagers. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"Yes. Two weeks ago. Mom took me."

"Did your mother know you were dating?" He suddenly realized he had never heard a word about the guy that had stood naked in his leaving room.

"Not really…"

"Alright, we'll talk about it later." He could hear Zarya and David both sighing, relieved. "And David? You're free to go, if you want. If you want to hang with us a little more, it'd be a pleasure to know you better. I promise I'll never mention the fact that we met when you were naked again."

"Hmm, thanks…" He was confused. "I think I'm just going home, then. I'm sorry, sir. I hope we can meet properly." He didn't really know how to act.

"Alright, then. Let's have dinner sometime."

"Sure." He picked up his stuff and left.

As soon as David was out, Zarya turned to her father. "Please, please, please don't you _ever_ mention it again. I'm so so embarrassed!"

"As long as you stop with the repetition of words…"

"It's for emphasis!" She continued. "But seriously now, please, don't say anything about it ok? I promise we will never do it without protection and I'll take care, ok? It ends here."

"Ok. Just a little thing: describe to me what your faces were like when you saw me." He laughed. "Oh, boy, I wish I could have seen you two caught in the action…"

"Ha. You are so funny today; I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe." She sarcastically replied, going back to her normal state.

"Ok. Seriously now: what's David's last name and age?"

"Why?" She was confused.

"Because I'm going to run a little research on him, when I'm working tomorrow." He laughed again.

"Oh. My. God. I'm giving you the biggest eye roll in the history of eye rolls. Give me a break, dad."

**AN: So, what do you think? Let me know, ok? And if you have any suggestions, please tell me :) But remember to be kind and polite, ok?**

**Well, for the next chapter, I've been thinking about some angst stuff, but I'm not sure if I like it. I prefer lighter and happier stories. Tell me if you'd like some angst and I'll see what I can do ;) Thanks for reading, guys!**


	10. Drama Queen

**AN: Alright, here's a little angst for you. I'm not really good at writing angst, but I wanted to give it a try. Tell me what you think :)**

Drama Queen –

Zarya was already asleep when Annie got home, late at night, to find a puddle and a broken glass on the kitchen floor. Auggie sat down, leaning his back against the counter and holding his head between his hands.

"What happened here?" She asked, a little worried, as she locked the door.

"I dropped that glass, obviously." He sounded snappy.

She opened a drawer and took a dishcloth to clean up the mess and take the small pieces of glass from the ground.

"No, no, no. Stop it. _I_ dropped it; _I'm_ going to clean it up." He said, getting up from the floor.

"You're gonna hurt yourself, Auggie. Let me do it."

"It doesn't matter if I'm gonna hurt myself, it is _my_ obligation to clean it up."

"No it's not. I know you're upset, but you'll be doing a much better work by going to bed and waiting for me."

"You sure you don't mean _I'd be doing a much better work being blind somewhere else in the house?_" He caught Annie by surprise.

"What the hell, August!?" She raised her voice, but not enough to wake Zarya up. "I'm not gonna stand here and listen to this crap! You wanna get your hands hurt? Sure! Go ahead! I honestly don't care." She threw the dishcloth to his feet and walked away to their bedroom.

He cleaned it up precariously and, obviously, cut his fingers with the broken glass. It wasn't usual for Auggie to feel incapable of doing something, but of course it happened every now and then. Whenever the feeling of self pity hit him, he tried to forget it, because there was nothing he hated more than feeling that way. But sometimes it was really hard to let go. Especially that day.

He washed his ensanguined hands on the kitchen sink and decided to take a hot shower to relax and maybe forget about it.

Annie watched the whole scene quietly from their bed, and felt like she needed to do something, even though she knew there wasn't much she could do to help him.

He came back to their bedroom, put on his trousers and laid, silently and gravely, by Annie's side, but he didn't touch her.

"Annie, you up?" He whispered, afraid that he'd wake her up if she was already asleep.

"Yep." Annie patted his abs. She sounded more relaxed than before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be ungrateful."

"I don't wanna see you drowning in self pity ever again, ok?" She kissed the tip of his nose.

"I know. I hate it too. I feel like a selfish idiot." He distanced from her.

"Wanna tell me what's eating you?" She pulled him closer again, laying her head on his chest.  
He ran his hand through her hair.

"It's nothing."

"Come on, Auggie, I know it's not nothing. I got home and found a depressed man on my kitchen floor; I wanna know what happened."

He sighed. "Today I went to pick Zarya up at her school and I overheard some comments that made me realize how fucked up this world is."

"Well, since you work where you work, I thought you had pretty much an idea of what a fucked up world this is..."

"It's not that kind of thing, I'm sure no one is working secretly as an arms dealer in Zarya's First Grade class." He teased. "It's just… people are so ignorant." He looked disgusted now.

"What did you hear?" She patted his cheeks softly.

"Let it go... I'll forget it."

"No you won't. And I'm not letting go." She pressed her forefinger against his sternum and stared at him, serious.

"Alright. You really wanna know? A woman said _it was really selfish to expose an innocent child to such a hard way of living. The poor little girl will never feel safe having a disabled parent_."

"Augs..." She put her head next to his, trying to contain the tears coming from her eyes.

"It's not over. The other woman added that _one had to be really stupid to want a child in this condition. She was sorry about my wife, though, because that woman probably does all the hard work by herself_."

"Come on, Auggie. Stop it. You know you're a thousand times better than their husbands, whoever they are." She kissed him softly. "Don't let it hit you, ok?"

"I know those women are just ignorant and I shouldn't be worrying about it too much, or at all, but it had me thinking…" He hesitated for a while, and bit his lower lip. "Annie, if I ask you something, do you swear you'll be 100% honest with me?"

"Of course, Augs. I'd never lie to you, you know that."

He took a deep breath. "Do I leave all the hard work to you? I mean, you got home today and the first thing you did was start to clean up my mess for me, that's why I didn't want you to do it."

"Auggie, really? You are ten times better than any father I have ever seen. Sometimes I feel like Zarya wouldn't even mind if I wasn't here… Please, don't listen to people like that, ok? You are amazing." She kissed him and he felt her tears in his face.

"You sure?"

She laughed at his lack of confidence when it came to this matter. "Of course I'm sure!" She kissed his cheek. "Now, please, bring August Anderson back, I liked him better. He was a little arrogant, and sometimes it pissed some people off, but it's much better than a drama queen."

"Oh, I've also heard he was a sex god." He rolled on top of her, kissing his way from her neck to her lips.

"Was he? I don't know about that…" She teased, responding to his kiss.


	11. Moving

**AN: Oh my God, it's been a looooong time since I posted here… I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault, but I had to study. Anyway, here it is :) Tell me what you think ;) **

Moving –

After living in Auggie's apartment for two years and a half, they realized there wasn't enough room for two adults and a toddler. Zarya was already taking her steps around the house and all her stuff occupied too much space. Also, they had to keep the path clean, so that Auggie wouldn't trip or stumble on stuff in his own house.

They thought about it and decided to buy a new place. They had been saving some money and they wanted a good neighborhood for their daughter, so moving seemed like a good idea. And it was, indeed. It took some time to adjust, obviously, but they managed it pretty well.

They bought a nice house, not big, but bigger than Auggie's apartment, for sure. It was placed in a good neighborhood, lots of young families, and away from the city chaos.

It took them only three days to move in completely and leave their old home behind. After all the furniture was in its place, Annie took Auggie around the house to know where everything was. The first few weeks he still stumbled on armchairs, or tables, but soon enough he was already a pro inside his house.

For the first two nights, although Zarya slept pretty well, both Annie and Auggie couldn't fall asleep. It was weird being somewhere so strange and calling it home. Of course Annie was used to sleeping at the most exotic places, but it was different knowing that was her home.

After rolling from one side to the other in bed, she noticed Auggie was laughing.

"What?" She whispered, laying her head on his chest.

"I thought I was the only one not able to sleep." He pulled her closer.

"Oh, I wish." She sighed. "I miss our old home. Even though I don't want to."

"I know. No one misses it more than I do." He felt for her hand and held it in his. "But we agreed it was the right thing. That apartment was getting smaller every day."

"I like it here. It's just weird to call it _'home'_…"

"And there is no traffic! I miss the sound of cars and motorcycles! I never thought I'd say this, but I got attached to the street noises." He laughed.

"I know. And I feel a little self conscious in this neighborhood. All the houses have picture perfect families living inside. All the women are typical housewives… I think Danielle would fit the profile better. I'm not qualified for this…"

"Har. Make me laugh, Walker." He poked her. "No offense, but do you want to be like Danielle?"

"I know, Auggie. It's just… People judge."

"So what? You're going to live through other people's parameters now?"

"You're right."

"Hey." He raised her head, so that she would be facing him. "You are better than that, Annie. Those women live inside a bubble. They are clueless."

"Thank you." She kissed the tip of his nose. "It's just that I'd like to be normal sometimes."

"You say that now. I bet you wouldn't make it through a week." He smirked.

"Touché." She stuck her forefinger on his chest and smiled, kissing his cheek.

…

The next morning, Annie was walking around the house with Zarya in her arms, singing for her, while Auggie took a shower. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Annie looked through the peephole and saw a woman about her age holding a pie. She opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Hey! I live just across the street and I noticed people had moved in this house, so I wanted to welcome you and your family to the neighborhood. Nice to meet you, I'm Nora."

"Hey Nora, I'm Annie." She extended one hand and Nora shook it, taking a long look at Annie's stay-at-home outfit.

"And who is this?" Nora patted Zarya's chubby cheek.

"This is Zarya." Annie answered.

"She seems big, doesn't she talk?"

Annie could feel she was already being judged.

"She does, but she's shy." Zarya confirmed that statement by hiding her face in her mother's chest.

"Oh, I see." The woman smiled. "Well, I prepared this for you. I hope you like cherry pies." She handed Annie the pie and she had to put Zarya down in order to get it.

"Oh, that's so sweet, thank you!" She noticed the woman trying to peek inside the house and it pissed her off, but she controlled herself. "I'd invite you in, but it's still a mess from the moving…" It wasn't, actually, but Annie didn't want anyone spying on them like that.

"Oh, that's ok." Nora noticed that Zarya had bells tied to her shoes, but didn't say anything about it, only stared at it (which only caused Annie to dislike the woman even more). "Well, my husband and I would like to invite you for dinner tonight. Hope you don't have anything planned." She smiled unnaturally.

"Well, I don't know. I'll talk to my husband and to our nanny first. But thanks for your invitation." Annie smiled back, as spontaneously as Nora.

As soon as the woman left, Annie already knew she hated her neighbors. At least the ones from '_just across the street'_.

Auggie left the shower and shouted from their suite.

"Did I hear the doorbell?"

"Yes!" Annie shouted back, put the pie on the table and then headed to their bedroom.

She saw Auggie naked and that was enough to forget about the inconvenient _Nora_. Until he asked her about it.

"Who was it?"

She shook her head, trying to focus. "Ugh, just a neighbor wanting to '_welcome'_ us." She used air quotes, even though she knew it was lost on her husband.

"And that's bad because?..." He asked as he put on his boxers and his pants.

"Because she was just trying to find something to gossip about. She tried so hard to peek into our home! And she kept staring at Zarya and at my pajamas…"

"I think you're paranoid." He grabbed her to kiss her. "It's kinda sexy, but not healthy."

"Har." She kissed him back. "It was such a cliché! She even brought us pie and invited us for dinner."

"Did you say '_yes_'?"

"Of course not!"

"What, you said '_no_'?"

"Of course not!"

"What did you say?" He laughed.

"That I'd check if we were available. Are we? Please say '_no_'."

"We are."

"Ugh! Why?"

"Annie, you're just overreacting. We'll go and eat good homemade food – which, let's agree, is not our specialty – and see how the regular people live. It's going to be funny to shock them with our open minds." He smirked.

"We'll be the headlines for weeks." She laughed. "Ok. I'll tell her we'll go."

"That's the Annie I know." He took her close and started to take off her shirt.

"Zarya is in the other room. I don't think it's the right time for that." She kissed his cheek, laughing, and left to find their daughter.


	12. Dinner Party (Moving Part 2)

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to ****Marie King****, who asked for a sequel to the 'Moving' chapter :) Thank you, Marie!**

Dinner Party –

Annie wore a simple black dress, but very elegant, along with her classic Louboutins . For the first time in years she chose Auggie's outfit too.

She had put light make-up on, but enough to look a little younger and less tired. He hair was up, tied in a little bun.

"Don't you think you're taking this way too seriously?" Auggie smiled as he put on the pair of jeans she had chosen.

"Come on, Auggie. I don't want the other kids of the neighborhood making fun of our baby. Don't you think it all starts with their parents talking crap about us?" She helped him with his tie.

"I see your point, Annie, but you should relax. Let's just be ourselves out there. Well, our Smithsonian selves, but still."

"Alright." She looked at her watch. "We're late."

She waited until he put on his blazer and fixed up his tie, and pulled him towards the living room. They instructed Zarya's nanny, a sweet twenty two year old girl, and left. Annie trusted in her completely. They crossed the street and rang the doorbell. Annie took a quick look at Auggie, to check if he had all clothes in place – and to admire his slim figure as well –, and soon the door was opened by Nora.

"Hey! Glad you could make it! Did you need a map?" She teased and Annie grinned.

"Hey, Nora. This is my husband, August." She didn't want the woman to feel intimate enough to call him '_Auggie_'.

"Oh!" Nora exclaimed as she realized Auggie was blind. Annie already knew that night would be a blast. "Nice to meet you, I'm Nora Walters."

"August Anderson."

"Well, Nora, we brought you this bottle of Bordeaux. Hope you're a fan of wine." Annie smiled.

"Of course!" She took the bottle. "Let's come in?" She entered the house and Annie followed her.

They sat at the living room and Nora's husband came from the kitchen to greet them.

"Hey! I hear you're the new neighbors! Nice to meet you, I'm Joseph." He shook Annie's hand first and then she put Auggie's hand in his. "So, would you like some wine?" He asked as he sat down.

"Sure." Both of them answered in unison.

Joseph was feeling awkward because he didn't know how to act around a blind guy, so he just handed everything to Annie so that she could hand them to Auggie. It pissed Annie off, but Auggie didn't really mind, as long as the wine got delivered to him in the end.

Nora came from the kitchen holding a tray of snacks and put it on the coffee table, in front of them. She sat by Joseph's side.

"Are those your kids?" Annie asked as she noticed a beautiful family portrait on the wall, hanging above the fireplace.

"Yes. Trevor and Jennifer." Nora smiled. "But this picture is a little old, it's from three years ago. They're already ten and eleven now."

"And where are they?"

"At my mom's." Joseph answered. "Nora tells me you have kids too."

"Only one, a two year old." Auggie smiled. "Her name is Zarya."

"Yeah, I was going to ask… Where's that from?" Nora asked Annie. "It's, uhm, an interesting name."

Annie took a deep breath. She knew very well what Nora meant with '_interesting_'. "It's Russian. It means '_sunshine_'."

"Beautiful." Joseph said. "I wanted to give our kids unique names too, but Nora insisted we kept it traditional."

"Well, traditional never gets out of fashion." She defended herself.

"Fashion?" Annie raised her eyebrows and was about to start a speech on _picking your child's name over 'fashion'_, but Auggie discretely touched her knee, so that she wouldn't. "Well, I picked Zarya's name over personality." She crossed her legs and straightened her shoulders, to look more imposing.

"Everyone has a reason, baby. Trevor and Jennifer are beautiful names." He slid his hand to her thigh and typed '_stop_' in Morse code, while he smiled at the couple.

They heard a '_ding'_ from the kitchen and Nora and Joseph stood up. _Saved by the bell,_ Auggie thought to himself.

"Dinner's ready." Nora said as they headed to the oven.

Annie and Auggie got up as well and he pretended to kiss her, but in reality he was scolding her.

"Are you insane? So much for looking normal, huh?" He whispered and let her go.

They sat down and Nora served them. Homemade pasta. _Hmmm, Annie hadn't eaten it since Danielle had moved to California_. Joseph poured them some more wine.

Just as they were about to eat, right after they had prayed, Annie's phone rang.

"I'm so sorry, I _have_ to take this." She got up. Nora shot her a disapproving look.

"Is that… that?" Auggie asked.

"Yep."

She went back to the Walters' living room and picked it up.

"Hello?"

…

Auggie tried to avoid the awkward silence while Annie didn't come back.

"I'm sorry, it's from work." He said as he took a sip of wine.

"Work? Isn't it 9 o'clock already? Where does she work?"

Just as Joseph finished his sentence Auggie's phone rang as well.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this too."

"Feel free." Joseph shrugged while Nora exchanged looks with him.

Auggie found his way to the living room and answered his phone.

…

"Auggie, what should we do? If we leave now it'll look like we're giving up." Annie whispered.

"Annie, do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" He laughed.

"Ok, I told Barber we could take a while to get there. I think we have a window."

"Yeah, but I just told _Joan_ we were _already going_."

"Why, Auggie, why?"

"You seriously want to postpone national security because of a dinner party?"

"Ok, we tell them we had a problem with our nanny and we need to leave in…" She looked at her watch. "…half an hour."

"Alright…" He gave up and took her arm, back to the dining room.

They sat down again.

"I'm so sorry about that. We had a problem with our nanny; she'll have to leave in about 30 minutes, so we'll have to leave too."

"I thought you said it was work." Nora asked. Annie froze. _Damn! It was so easy lying to criminals and FBI agents, why couldn't she make up a good lie to her neighbor? Jesus!_

"Well, it was work on Annie's phone. Mine rang because our nanny called." Auggie saved the day.

"Well, why don't you enjoy your meal for these last 30 minutes, then?" Joseph suggested.

"Thanks." Annie smiled. "The pie was delicious, by the way." She told Nora.

"Thank you!" She pretended to be flattered.

"So, Annie, where do you work?" Joseph asked.

"We work at the Smithsonian." She took Auggie's hand in hers when she said '_we_'.

"Oh. What do you do there?"

"I'm a tech geek, and she's with acquisitions." Auggie explained.

"Acquisitions?"

"Yeah, I make sure the pieces from other countries get delivered safely to the Smithsonian."

"You travel a lot, then?"

"Umhm." She nodded. "Perks of the job."

After that, dinner was followed by an awkward silence. No words until Nora decided to open her mouth again.

"Can I ask you something? Have you always been blind?"

Annie choked on her wine.

"Babe!" Joseph kicked Nora's leg under the table.

"It's ok." Auggie said. "And no, I haven't; I went to Iraq."

"Oh. A patriot." Joseph tried to fix up Nora's mess – impossible, but at least he did try.

"Well, I think we should go." Annie patted Auggie's leg wearing the biggest fake smile ever. "Thank you so much for dinner. It was delicious. I could never cook like that."

"Oh, I'm sure about that." Nora casually replied and got another kick from her husband.

They said their goodbyes and left. They got home only to ask their nanny to stay through the night and to say goodbye to Zarya, then they left again, heading to Langley. In the car, Auggie's phone rang again.

"Hey, Joan… Yes… Sorry, we had a little problem on our way out… ok… We're already in the car… Ok." He hung up.

"I'm actually glad Joan called us back to work… I don't think I've ever been more uncomfortable in my life. Ever." Annie chuckled at the memories of that fiasco.

"Yeah, you didn't make any effort to make it better either." He laughed.

"Come on! You know me. I like it spicy."

"Well, at least it's over now, _Mrs. 'I-want-to-look-normal-to-the-neighbors'_."

"I told you I didn't want to go in the first place."

"Alright, alright. You were completely friendly and tolerant. It's _all_ my fault. All of it." He smirked.

"You know it is." She stopped at the red light and took the chance to kiss him soundly; but they soon had to stop due to the other drivers honking behind them.


	13. Where Did Simba Go?

**AN: Hey, guys! I'm sorry it took me that long to write something. I'm not even gonna apologize anymore… Anyway, this is just something that crossed my mind and I thought it'd be cute – but it turned out to be REALLY corny. Seriously, you have been warned LOL**

**Hope you like it. Please review! :)**

Where Did Simba Go? –

There was a time when Zarya was around five years old, when Annie's international trips became really usual. She would travel at least once a week, or stay away from home for a week. She felt bad, but she was working hard to get a promotion and a better position that would allow her to stay in town more often. Of course you could never be sure about changes like that, especially working for the Agency, but Annie knew if she showed how much she was giving from herself to help the CIA, her work would be noticed.

Auggie sometimes had big arguments with her, due to her absence most of the time. He didn't think the position she wanted deserved so much sacrifice from her, and he felt she was trying to escape from their 'married' life. Annie tried to slow down a little, to prove him wrong, but the most she could arrange was to get rid of one or two missions per month.

Whenever she was home, Zarya would appear in front of her parents' bedroom and claim to be having nightmares. But both Annie and Auggie knew it was just an excuse to be able to sleep close to her mother. They didn't stop her though, and she'd always fall asleep in their bed, between them.

One night, Annie was tangled around Auggie, both of them occupying her side of the bed, when Auggie woke up, startled by the sound of a knock on their door. He got up abruptly and woke Annie up too, accidentally.

"Mommy? Daddy?" They heard from the door.

Auggie groaned and moved back to his side of the bed, making room for Zarya to join them.

"What's wrong, baby?" Annie asked.

"I had a bad dream." Zarya had a little stuffed lion in her arms, which she had named Simba - a homage to her favorite movie - and Annie couldn't help but laugh at how cute her daughter looked in those pink striped pajamas Danielle had bought her.

"Come here. It's ok."

She climbed up to her parents bed and lay in the middle.

"You ok, Z?" Auggie asked, running his hand through her soft curly hair.

"Umhum." She turned around to face Annie, and Annie took her in her arms. "Take care of Simba for me, will you, dad?" She handed him her toy and Auggie took it.

He ran his hands through the little lion and shrugged. He turned around and fell asleep quickly, holding Simba. Annie grinned at that sight. Both girls took longer to fall asleep, but soon enough all of them were sleeping deeply.

…

The next morning, Zarya woke up alone in her parents bed. And no sign of Simba. She stretched her little body and jumped out of bed, heading to the kitchen. Annie was washing the dishes while Auggie sat by the table, and he was the first to notice Zarya's presence in the room.

"Morning, Z. Did you sleep well?" He extended his arms so that she'd give him a hug.

"Yes." She hugged him and he picked her up from the ground.

"Morning, sweetheart." Annie waved from the sink.

"What's that?" Zarya asked.

"What's what?"

"Simba!" She chuckled.

Auggie had put Simba on one of the chairs and a plate with two waffles in front of the stuffed lion.

"You told me to take care of him, didn't you? I fed him."

"Lions don't eat waffles!" She laughed.

"Yeah? What do they eat?"

"Meat!" She answered as if it were obvious - which it was, but anyway.

"So why don't _you_ eat the waffles? I believe they are still warm."

"Ok." She jumped from her father's lap and took Simba's seat.

"Do you want some OJ, Zarya?" Annie asked.

"Yes, please."

Annie smiled. She was happy to see how polite her baby was. She opened the refrigerator door and noticed it was nearly empty, if it wasn't for the orange juice, three eggs and some old vegetables.

"I really need to go grocery shopping." She stated while pouring the last cup of OJ for Zarya.

"How bad is it?" Auggie laughed.

"We might starve to death if I don't go. Zarya, will you stay with dad or will you go with Mommy?"

Zarya put some thought to it. She wanted to spend time with her mother, but she really hated to go grocery shopping.

"I'll stay with dad."

"Alright."

Annie went to the bathroom to take a quick shower before leaving the house. Zarya and Auggie finished their breakfast, and Annie left right after.

"Where did Simba go?" Auggie asked as he acknowledged Zarya had taken its seat.

"To the counter." She answered and took a sip of her juice, holding the glass with both hands. "Daddy?"

"Yeah."

"You're different from mommy and I."

"In many ways. But what do you mean?" He smiled. He knew where this was going to.

"We need to tell you where things are."

Auggie laughed at her way of putting it. "Yes, Z. It's because daddy's blind. I can't see."

"Can't you see anything?" She sounded shocked.

"Nothing." He answered.

Zarya stood quiet for a few minutes, which made it really hard for Auggie to read her. She didn't even move. She was thinking about that. She had all those habits of telling Auggie where things were, instead of pointing, or warning him about her toys standing in his way, but she never understood what she did it for. Annie had simply taught her to do so and she simply did it. Now it made sense to her incredibly smart five year old mind.

"Why?" She asked.

"I went to war in Iraq when I was younger and a bomb exploded near me. The impact of the explosion hurt my head and my eyes, which made me blind." Neither Auggie nor Annie would ever answer a question to Zarya as if she was stupid. They tried to simplify it, but never twist it to make it easier for a "child" to understand. If anything, she was an equal, no less than they were, and deserved a proper and accurate answer.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." Auggie laughed. "It's just like having my eyes closed all the time."

"Not your eyes, daddy. Inside."

Auggie's heart cracked. He didn't expect that. _What should he answer_? He decided to go for the truth. "It used to, in the beginning. But not anymore. At least not often."

"Can't you fix it?"

"Nope." He nodded.

Silence again. Except this time he heard Zarya standing up and walking towards him. She gave him a tight hug.

"Z, now listen to me. I'm serious." She let go off him to face him. "You will never be sorry for me, ok? Can you promise me you'll always treat me as you have so far?"

She didn't really understand that at the moment, but she agreed.

"Nothing's changed, ok? I'm still your super skilled dad." He smiled.

She took a little time before she said anything else.

"Can we watch TV now?"

"Sure." He got up, took her from the floor and headed to the living room.

…

From day one, Auggie had always wondered what it'd be like for Zarya to have a blind parent. He reasoned it wouldn't be any different from having sighted parents, except that he wouldn't be able to compliment her drawings or play hide and seek with her. Sometimes he imagined what she would say when she figured out he was blind, or how old she'd be, or maybe it would simply happen naturally as she grew older. But he never imagined it'd happen like that. She took it pretty well and, even though he was sure she still didn't understand it completely, she had agreed to never feel sorry for him.

He was proud of his little baby. She was incredibly smart and communicative. She was also very polite and obedient. Her only flaw, according to Annie, was to be stubborn - which Auggie didn't consider an actual flaw, after all - and, just like her mother, she would always find a way to get what she wanted. But, overall, she was kind. She had a truly good heart, that's why she felt bad for her daddy, and Auggie got it and respected it.


End file.
